[[quoteright:250:[[VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vigilante_6297.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:250:In the future, we will put guns on our trucks]]

When TestosteronePoisoning hits the road.

A SisterTrope to CoolCar, this is the kind where even four wheels isn't enough, you need the diesel fumes and huge smoking pipes and plenty of axles and... well, you have the big rig truck that tends to be a mainstay in action movies and the like. Ostensibly a trope unique to the West, but it's caught on in any other region where the terrain is more accomodating to the regular use of big rigs, but mostly for RuleOfCool.

----!!Examples:

[[AC:{{Anime}}]]* Anime/{{Daimos}} in his Tranzer form.* The Mammoth Car from ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', essentially a train on wheels.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]* The U.S. 1 rig from the shortlived Creator/MarvelComics title ''U.S. 1''.* SpiderMan once fought a trucker who fancied himself a crime fighter named Razorback (who was rather incompetent and had a pretty dumb-looking cowl that looked like a boar's head; the story was written back when CB radios were becoming a fad for motorists other than truckers). Having said that, the modified rig he drove - which he named "The Big Pig" - was kind of cool; he could even drive it using a remote control.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]* The truck from ''Film/{{Duel}}''.* ''Film/MaximumOverdrive''. [[HarsherInHindsight Weren't these from before Stephen King's car accident, though?]]* The big rig from ''Film/LandOfTheDead'' is also a [[WeaponisedCar Weaponised Vehicle]].* Mack from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' is a rare benign version. The only thing fearful about him is when he nods off to sleep ''while in motion''.* The [[WeaponizedCar Dreadnought]] from ''Film/DeathRace'' The third movie has the hilariously huge trucks driven by Joker and Nero, which, respectively, have a tank turret and an anti-air cannon for weapons.* SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's [[PuttheLaughterinSlaughter semitruck]] from ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.* The tanker truck Max and the tribesmen use in the climatic chase scene in ''[[Film/MadMax The Road Warrior]]''.* Jack Burton's truck in ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina''.* The finale for the first ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movie has the Terminator chasing down the protagonists (on foot) in an 18 wheeler. the second movie has the T-1000 chasing John Connor off the road and into a canal, and only a direct collision against solid concrete stops it.* Optimus Prime in the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' movies has a Peterbilt 379 vehicle mode. Unlike most of his animated appearances, his vehicle mode is a conventional truck (with the engine ahead of the driver).** For TransformersDarkOfTheMoon, Megatron adopts a new alternate mode that certainly fits this trope. A heavily modified Mack tanker truck littered with spikes and chains, it would fit right in on the set of Mad Max.* Billy from ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' steals a truck in pursuit of a suspect.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]* In ''The Pushcart War'', three truck companies are the villains. The biggest and baddest of their truck models are the Mighty Mammoth, Ten-Ton Tiger and Leaping Lema.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' used this in some of the Disney-owned seasons. ''[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Ninja Storm]]'' made the most use of their Mobile Command Center, while [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]] brought out a suspiciously similar rig for their final assault on the villain base. [[Series/PowerRangersSPD SPD]] went with a new design for the SWAT Command Truck. ** Rig-styled ''mecha'' would show up about half the time in vehicle-teamed seasons, even in the ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' precursors:*** ''Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger'' had a tractor cab for their Black Ranger.*** ''Series/HikariSentaiMaskman'' and ''Series/ChoushinseiFlashman'' had tractor trailer rigs forming standalone mecha on their own.*** ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' and ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' had green and yellow tractor trailers respectively.*** And some seasons, like ''Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman'', ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'' and ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'', would have their vehicles combine into a tractor trailer form, a low-power high-speed alternative to their megazord configuration when getting there is the priority.*** The Artillatron from ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'', which carried the Rescuezords.* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._J._and_the_Bear B.J. and the Bear]]''. B.J. (Billie Joe) [=McKay=] drove a big rig truck. His sidekick was a chimpanzee named "Bear".* A late '80s action series called ''The Highwayman'' involved frontier lawmen traveling the roads in big black rigs. The lead character's cab even turned into a helicopter.* The original ''Series/KnightRider'' had one for a mobile base-cum-garage. Also, in a couple of episodes, KITT's EvilCounterpart Goliath.* The ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS01E13RouteSixSixSix Route 666]]" has a possessed truck.* ''Series/{{Thunderstone}}'' has “The Beast”, a huge truck dug up by the Protectors and used to do their heavy lifting. It was cool enough to live on long after the Protectors were gone, being used by the Nomads in the second season as a storeroom/Sundance’s bedroom/brig.

[[AC:{{Pinball}}]]* "Ramp Warrior," the original version of ''Pinball/TruckStop,'' featured a flame-belching longnose tractor ramming its way past various barricades.

[[AC:TabletopGames]]* Ork wartrukks from ''Warhammer40K''. Each one is unique to its maker, has guns everywhere they can be strapped on (when not using less conventional but entirely orky weaponry like a wrecking ball the size of its engine), and of course, go faster if painted red.

[[AC:VideoGames]]* The premise behind the game ''VideoGame/BigRigsOverTheRoadRacing''.* The VehicularCombat trucks from ''GearGrinder''.* Convoy from ''VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}}'' drives a large yellow Mack truck. The sequel gives him the ability to attach a trailer to the back of it, [[HubcapHovercraft turn the wheels into jet engines]] or skis.* Darkside in it's many iterations from ''TwistedMetal''.** The reboot gave us Juggernaut, the [[DeathRace Dreadnaught]] {{Expy}}.* ''Videogame/PlanetSide'' and the sequel have the [[http://wiki.planetsidesyndicate.com/images/thumb/5/5b/LeviathanFront.jpg/750px-LeviathanFront.jpg Sunderer]] APC, more popularly known as the [[FanNickname bang bus]]. The original Sunderer is absolutely huge, being almost two stories tall, with half a dozen manned turrets and the ability to carry around two [[PoweredArmor MAX suits]]. A patch later gave it a cattle-catcher to the front. The sequel's is slightly smaller than the original, and takes a hit to adaptability (it only carries two turrets, though they are much more dangerous on their own) in exchange for being able to [[BaseOnWheels deploy to activate a mobile spawnpoint]], breach forcefield gates, and [[CarFu crush smaller vehicles by ramming them]].* [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove The lesser known]] PC {{Vehicular Combat}}/{{Role Playing Game}} ''VideoGame/HardTruckApocalypse'' (known as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Ex Machina]]'' in Russia) and it's expansion. You start off with a rather plain truck with a machine gun but as you go along you can buy new trucks and upgrades. Heavily modified trucks tend to end up as pint-sized ''[[MilitaryMashupMachine land battleships]]''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQlrg50EptY&feature=related Like this one]]* ''VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator'' features a realistic take on driving these. Real-life models from Volvo, Renault, and other manufacturers are available, as well as several BlandNameProduct trucks. {{Game Mod}}s can add bigger and more badass trucks, such as American-style 18-wheelers.* ''American Truck'' (one of Creator/TelenetJapan's earliest games). Driving an 18-wheeler makes it easy to run other cars off the road.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]* Rhino, Outlaw, Goliath and Bulldog from ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}''.* [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime.]] Tractor trailers would become a mainstay after that, and Optimus would appear as other kinds of vehicles ([[WesternAnimation/BeastWars and animals!]]), but [[TropeCodifier there's a very good reason he's most associated with a truck.]]** The Decepticons had an equivalent in [[WesternAnimation/TransformersGeneration1 Generation 1]] who also turned into a rig, {{Motormaster}}, the leader of the Stunticons and the core component of the Decepticon gestalt, Menasor. He was ''incredibly'' tough, but in one episode he dared try to face Optimus Prime in a head-on-head collision; it was a CurbStompBattle with the villain on the curb. * ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' - Hank is going to transport a single piece of furniture long distance for his mother, and rents a full-size semi rig for the job. As he justifies his choice to his awestruck friends, Bill sighs "You don't have to explain to ''us'', Hank!"

[[AC:RealLife]]* "Road trains" in Australia, essentially one truck pulling up to eight trailers at once.* Off-road trucks designed for heavy hauling in the post-UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo years, made to become artillery tractors or tank tractors if a major war happened again: ** [[RedsWithRockets Soviet]] [[http://www.motorstown.com/images/kraz-214-05.jpg KrAZ-214]]/[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/KrAZ_255.JPG 255]] series and [[http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/47198/maz535-6.jpg MAZ-535]]/[[http://engineact.com/pics/f3/e4/MAZ-543_4b037.jpg 543]]** Czechoslovak [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Lkw-tatra-813.jpg Tatra 813]] series ** German [[http://www.olafs-fotoseite.de/ML002-Kaelble-KDV12Z-Zugm-Boelling-dkgelb-Ch-rot-1963.jpg Kaelble KDV]] series** French [[http://www.fondationberliet.org/ressources-documentaires/berliet-gbo15p-algerie-sahara/ Berliet GBO 15]] series and the [[UpToEleven absolutely gigantic]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliet_T100 Berliet]] [[http://www.fierdetreroutier.com/zoom/a_dossiers/2012/T_100/003_T100rouge.jpg T]] [[http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6909977893_a8e32248db_z.jpg 100]]** British [[http://static.commercialmotor.com/big-lorry-blog/Thornycroft.jpg Thornycroft Antar]]. [[NotSoDifferent All were very similar in basic layout]], built around a very large and slow-turning Diesel or gasoline engine, all wheel drive, large tires with strong grip and weight distribution made for towing. While they did saw military use, their fame comes from civilian jobs, towing extra-large loads over rough ground and carrying oil drilling machinery in the wilderness.